Date: Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:55:08 -0400
From: Odin <belsport09@gmail.com>
Subject: Second Shot Chapter 4: Dare To Be Happy

Disclaimer: Story characters belong to the author, any resemblances to real
people are entirely coincidental.

Content Advisory: Adult situations, language, sexual references

Copyright, 2010, Quonus10

I hope you enjoy it. Please comment to: belsport09@gmail.com


This story will continue to be posted on Nifty. It is COMPLETED, however,
and can be found also at
http://www.gayauthors.org/story/quonus10/secondshot



4. Chapter 4: Dare to be Happy


Putting on his helmet, Jason climbed behind Peter. He reached up to hold
onto Peter's shoulders again, then on a whim dropped his hands around
Peter's waist. Peter put his left hand over Jason's squeezing it
quickly. Taking it as a sign his hands were fine where they were, Jason
held on a bit tighter as Peter kick the engine to life.

Hamerton was not a big city, in fact it was really just a large town. A
steel rolling plant north of campus once employed thousands from the
area. Now the factory housed a small specialty manufacturer that had only a
fraction of the positions. If Graydon didn't exist, neither would Hamerton.

Since the downsizing occurred, several parts of town fell into decline. The
state and county tried to revive the town twice, but neither attempt
brought significant and sustainable employment. In the end, the town and
county agreed to raze a large area east of campus and allowed a huge outlet
mall to be built. The retail jobs were something, but the low pay for most
jobs only marginally revitalized the area.

South of campus was the most prosperous part of town. Large homes built for
professors, executives and other professionals made the area
desirable. Anyone who was anyone in Hamerton and its surrounding area,
lived there.

The last retail area in town, where Annette's restaurant was located, was
west of campus. Further west were the houses built for the myriad of
workers who flocked to the area when the steel plant was at full
capacity. Much of the area was run down now with only pockets of well kept
neighborhoods. On the outskirts of the shopping district were the more
industrial businesses; chop shops, tire warehouses, landscapers, cement
plants and the like.

Jason was surprised when Peter drove west of the restaurant into what was
commonly referred to on campus as the rough part of town. Twelve long
blocks from the restaurant, Peter pulled into a small apartment complex
sitting a block off the main road. The squat rectangular building had six
white doors in front. Make that six grungy, maybe white once upon a time,
doors. The collection of older cars parked out front spoke to the clientele
of renters inside.

Peter parked on the right side of the building in a small parking space
that seemed made for a motorcycle.

"Home crappy home." Peter said, removing his helmet.

When Jason waited too long to respond, stunned someone like Peter would
live here, Peter said, "It's not so bad inside, really."

"What?" Jason realized Peter must be embarrassed to bring him here. "No,
this is cool. It's all yours, so I'm jealous."

"Trust me, this place is nothing to be jealous of." Peter sorted through
his keys as they walked to the second faded door. "Most of the people who
live here are good folks, the landlord is kind of picky because she lives
here."

"Seriously," Jason tried to sound convincing. "This is cool."

`Dear god, let me get home safe' was all he kept thinking as they entered
the small vestibule. Illuminated by a large industrial style florescent
light overhead, every worn surface stood out to Jason. When they walked
passed four aluminum mailboxes, Jason saw "Gregory" written on the small
slip of paper under the black "C" etched onto the metal.

"Are you sure you don't want to go somewhere else?" Peter stopped, key in
hand, in front of the boxes.

"No, this is fine, really." He felt bad. If this was all Peter could
afford, Jason's attitude was insulting. "Sorry Peter, I really didn't mean
to sound uncomfortable."

Peter laughed. "It was your face that really gave you away. My mother's
expression was only slightly worse."

Now it was his turn to feel bad. "Sorry, I guess I'm a snobby prick."

"Trust me when I say it is not so bad inside." Peter ignored the self
criticism. "If you're still nervous once we're inside, we can go somewhere
else, promise."

"Really, I'm fine." Jason said as sincerely as he could.  His heart trying
to come through his chest, Jason followed Peter up the narrow flight of
stairs. Although worn and in need of a new coat of paint, the hallway
appeared clean. There were only four apartments in each unit. Apartment C
was to the right of the stairs.

Peter opened the door, turning on a light so Jason could follow. Excited
and anxious, Jason was hyper sensitive to his surrounds. As promised, the
apartment was not as bad as the outside suggested. In fact, Jason thought,
it was fairly nice. Nicer than his prefab campus apartment with cheap
carpets, flimsy cabinets and crappy workmanship.

Several small area rugs covered the hard wood floors. A small table and
chairs were in the far right corner. Not far from the chairs, a futon faced
a set of shelves holding a TV, books, a few pictures and an old DVD
player. Against the wall, to the right of the futon, an electric piano
stood quietly on a stand. To the left of the instrument, a set of nunchuks
and a couple long swords rested on a small chest.

The little kitchen was hidden by the wall until he walked into the
room. It, like the rest of the apartment, was neat and orderly.

"So?" Peter sounded apprehensive.

"Cleaner and nicer than my place on campus, that's for sure." He laughed.

"You okay then?"

"Yeah sure." Not really, he thought, but it has nothing to do with the
apartment.

Peter walked around the futon and into a doorway. Just beyond a small hall,
Jason could see a second door to the left, with a dresser and the edge of a
bed further inside.

"Bathroom is here in case you need it," Peter gestured to the door inside
the doorway. Jason remained in the living room while Peter hung his coat in
a closet.

"This is going to sound really tacky," Peter said when he came out. "But
would you mind if I take a quick shower? I didn't get to clean up like you
did."

"Yeah sure." What else was he going to say. "Go ahead, I'm fine. I'll just
snoop around your apartment while you're gone."

"That's fine, all the valuable stuff will be in the bedroom with me." Peter
joked. "I won't take long, just want to clean up."

"Go and stop apologizing." Jason plopped himself down on the futon to wait
for his host.

Closing his eye he kept asking himself what he was doing; here and with
Peter in general. This was crazy he thought. Yet he was still here, sitting
on Peter's futon.

As crazy as it might be, Jason found himself excited by his situation. If
he could put a face on what he envisioned his ideal date would be; smart,
handsome, athletic, funny, killer smile, Peter was it. No surprise he was
interested.

Yet it was none of those that made him break all his sacred rules. As cute,
funny, smart as Peter was, Jason might not have fallen for him if he wasn't
such a nice guy. His concern for Jason's reputation at dinner summed up his
personality. He tried to do the right thing, even if it didn't further what
he wanted. Faced with all these positives, Jason found it hard to maintain
his rules.

He heard the shower turn off and figured Peter would be out soon. Racing,
his mind wouldn't focus on what he was doing. Confused, he closed his eyes
again.

"You okay?" Peter asked from the doorway. Barefoot, he wore a pair of long
blue cotton pants and gray tee shirt.

Jason could see Peter was trying not to get anxious, but could only hide it
so much.

"Fine." He lied. "Well not really, but I have time to figure it out."

"Figure what out?" Peter sat next to him.

Jason felt his heart rate go up instantly. "What I'm doing. Doing here,
doing with you." Peter's breath smelled like mint, making Jason suddenly
very conscious of how bad his must be after dinner.

Turning his head slightly he asked, "Can I be tacky now?"

"Um, yeah sure." Peter tilted his head.

"Mouthwash?" he said. "I have major curry breath."

He knew he blushed, but there was no sly way to deal with it. If he had his
way, they were going to kiss before he left and no one would want to kiss
him again if he didn't do something about his breath.

Peter laughed. "That was no more obvious than my needing to shower."

Jason smiled weakly, but still felt self-conscious.

"In the cabinet behind the door," Peter told him.

"Thanks." Jason jumped up as much to get the mouthwash, as to hide the
affect of sitting this close to Peter.

He closed the door, realizing he needed to piss. Noting that the bathroom
was as clean as the rest of the place, he made sure not to leave a
mess. After relieving himself, he found the mouthwash, took a swig,
swishing it around his mouth as he washed his hands.

"What the hell are you doing?" he whispered to his reflection in the mirror
after he spit. "Guess I'll find out."

Peter knelt by the stereo on the shelves, fiddling with the music. Jason
returned to his seat and waited for Peter to finish.

"Better?" Peter asked with a smirk.

"I guess so."

Peter's smile faded. "Something wrong?"

"Nope," Jason shook his head. "Just wasn't sure if the mouthwash did the
trick."

The mischievous smile returned to Peter's face. "Do you need some help
making certain?"

"Hmm, probably." He laughed. "Got any ideas?"

Peter leaned over, setting Jason's pulse racing yet again. "Yeah I do."

When their lips met, Jason though he might faint. He could barely contain
the rush of emotions that accompanied their first kiss. Too quickly it was
over.

"Seems good to me." Peter pronounced.

"Are you sure?" Jason asked, nearly breathless.

"Good point." Peter leaned forward again, this time putting his hand behind
Jason's head and kissing him deeply.

Jason let go of his inhibitions, enjoying the moment. Whatever consequences
might come of this, he didn't care, he wanted this.

"Wow." He said when they separated. "No one ever kissed me like that
before."

Peter cocked his head and smiled. "That's good right?"

Jason leaned forward until their lips were almost touching. "Yeah, it is."

Despite all his pent up desire, Jason let Peter control things. Left to his
own choices, he and Peter would be naked by now. By contrast, Peter
appeared in no rush, content to simply kiss and fondle. Jason had to keep
reminding himself there was no urgency to get naked; this was not a one
night hook up.

Peter slowly guided them back onto the futon, with Jason laying on his
back. He could feel Peter's excitement as they rubbed against each other,
kissing and touching. When he finally got the nerve to reach under Peter's
shirt, he could feel the tight, sinewy built he hoped to see more of.

"Do you want to go inside?" Peter motioned with his head for the bedroom.

Noticing the time on the stereo, he felt his panic return. "Is that clock
right?"

"Yeah, why? Got somewhere to be?"

"No, yes, fuck." He lay back closing his eyes. When he opened them, Peter
was staring down at him.

"What's wrong?"

"Remember how we said we were going to be careful?" Jason ran his hand
along Peter's face. "I can't stay over. If we go into the bedroom, I won't
make it home."

"Why can't you stay over?" Peter didn't get up and Jason didn't object.

"There's no way I can explain that away to Darryl. It will raise too many
questions I can't answer." Jason kept moving his hand over Peter's body. "I
really want to stay, god you have no idea, but I can't."

"Oh," Peter sounded disappointed. "I understand."

Jason pushed himself up and stole another kiss. "Can we stay here a bit
longer? I don't need to go just yet."

"Do you really want to or are you just saying that?" Peter sounded like
someone who had been hurt before.

"Peter, I'm not confused, this doesn't make me feel guilty. Scared maybe
but not guilty." He explained. "I just need to be careful how we go about
this. This was all completely unplanned, that's all. If I don't go home,
Darryl will ask where I was all night. I need to say something beforehand
or it will be too hard to explain later."

"What if I promise not to try to keep you all night?" Peter asked.

Damn, Jason could feel his already weak defenses crumbling. "It's not you
I'm worried about. I can't be sure I'll leave."

Maybe Peter sensed his will to say no was not very strong, because his
response to Jason's comment was to kiss him. When they stopped Peter said,
"the bed really is more comfortable."

His heart pounding, Jason tried one last time to resist. "Peter . . ."

"I know." Peter sat up. "You can't stay."

Jason nodded. "Do you want me to go now?"

He didn't want to go, but maybe it would be better if he did. If they
kissed much longer, he was sure to give in.

"Of course not," Peter grabbed Jason's hand. "I'm sorry. After promising I
will help you be careful, here I am pushing you to take more risks."

"It's not that I don't want to stay, really." So many different thoughts
and emotions raced through his head, Jason found it hard to think. "This is
so hard to explain."

"You don't have to say anything Jason," Peter squeezed Jason's hand. "I
didn't mean to push you into something you weren't ready for."

"That's just it, part of me is so ready for this." Jason took a deep
breathe. "I have known since high school I was gay, well since I was 12
really, but it wasn't until I was 17 I really came to grips with it."

"I was the same." Peter admitted. "I knew when I was pretty young, but it
took a while for me accept it."

"Yeah," Jason nodded. At least he wasn't alone in how he came to grips with
things. "The few encounters I had were always just quick get me off type
stuff. Sure they were fun, but I never let it get beyond just fun and I
never let it happen with someone who might see me around."

"That has to be hard to arrange."

"Drive far enough and lie about where you're from and it isn't that hard."
Jason said quietly. He was not proud of his history

"Okay, I can see that." If Peter viewed Jason's comment negatively, he
didn't voice such thoughts.

Anxiety made it hard for him keep his head clear. He was so unsettled, his
body felt far away. Pushing through all the jumbled thoughts jockeying for
position, Jason tried to focus on what he wanted to say. When he finally
looked at Peter again he could see the doubt and confusion he expected. His
comments about just wanting to hook up were in contrast to his actions
since they first ran into each other at the field house.

"This time it is different." He said. "I don't want to hook up. I mean I
don't want to just hook up, then disappear. This is a new feeling."

He thought he saw Peter's doubts ease slightly. "That didn't really help
much did it?"

"Why don't you say what you want and not worry about how I'll react?" Peter
suggested. "Then I can figure out how to respond."

Jason laughed. "Believe it or not, that's what I'm trying to do. Thoughts
are racing around my head so fast I can't think straight."

"That's because you aren't straight." Peter arched an eyebrow, causing
Jason to laugh.

"True." He took a deep breathe. "I guess what I'm struggling to say is I
want more than just sex with you, but I don't know how to go about
it. Since I kinda sorta came out, it has been my plan to not get involved
because that would put everything else at risk. Until you, I never had to
deal what would happen if I met someone who challenged that plan. All of
which is rather presumptuous of me as it assumes you feel the same."

Now he could add uncomfortable to his growing list of feelings.

As if reading Jason's thoughts Peter smiled and said, "You can scratch lack
of interest on my part from your list of questions."

Snorting softly Jason said, "Thanks."

"There you go, we solved all your problems."

Jason gave him a small smile. "Sure we did."

"Jason," now Peter seemed uncomfortable. "I don't know what to say that
will help. I know what I want, but I don't want to push you somewhere you
don't want to go. No, actually I do want to, but that would be selfish of
me. But I'm a good listener if you want to talk about it."

"Before you were outed, how did you handle things?"

"Kind of how you are." Peter admitted. "I tried to keep it secret, but you
see how that worked out."

"Yeah." Jason didn't feel confident he would do much better. "That's what
I'm afraid will happen with me."

"The difference is he and I weren't careful. And," he quickly added, "We
didn't think about the consequences like you and I are doing now. There are
a few other differences as well that make this different."

"Care to share those?" If there were good reasons things wouldn't end as
badly for him as they did for Peter, he couldn't see them.

"We had no safe place to go." Peter said. "You and I do."

"That's true." Jason conceded. Before he could say more Peter continued.

"My place is so far from campus and where most student's go, there is very
little chance of people seeing you come over."

"Is that what you want?" Jason's face squinched in doubt. "Us sneaking
around to be together."

"It certainly isn't ideal." He admitted. "But we can work on it."

"We won't be able to keep it secret forever." Jason stated. He didn't mean
to sound fatalistic, but if he was being honest, eventually it would come
out.

Disappointment was so clear on Peter's face it stung Jason. If he felt they
couldn't hide their relationship and he didn't want to out himself, it
didn't leave much left for discussion. At least that must be how Peter saw
things.

"Peter, don't get that way."

"How do I get?" Peter's voice confirmed his hurt. "I finally find someone I
want to date, who says he wants to date me, but we can't."

"I never said we can't date." Jason didn't know what to say beyond that. He
didn't want to push Peter away. At the same time, he didn't want to out
himself and dating Peter was sure to do that. "I'm just confused about what
to do next."

They sat in silence, neither looking at the other. Jason almost said,
`let's do it' several times, but his fear of how things would ultimately
turn out, stopped him. Peter swallowed hard, making Jason look up.

"Can I ask a question?"

Jason bit back the smart ass, `you just did' he normally would say and
nodded.

"I need you to be honest with me, so tell me no if that is the answer."
Peter's lead in added to Jason's confusion.

"Okay."

"Normally I'm brutally honest, saying exactly what's on my mind." Peter
confessed. "Before I do that I need to know if you want to hear what I'm
thinking. You might not like it, which is why I'm asking first."

That he might not like Peter's comments didn't concern Jason, he probably
thought a lot worse about himself than Peter would say. What caused him a
moment's pause was Peter's concern for his feelings.

"If we have any chance of making a go at this, I need you to be honest with
me." Jason said. "Besides, I doubt you're going to say anything I haven't
thought already."

Peter smiled. "Fine, just promise me you won't get mad at what I'm going to
say."

"Ha, how do I promise that?"

Peter's laugh didn't hold much amusement. "Promise you will at least think
about it before you react?"

"That I can do."

"Cool." Peter took a deep breath. "First I should preface this by saying I
really understand your position. Having been there before, I get why you
want to keep this a secret. However, one thing I learned from my experience
is you can't be happy if you aren't being true to yourself.

"You said you were scared not confused, so this isn't about being honest
with yourself, it is about living your life in a way that will make you
happy. If you don't take a chance on being happy, you will never be
happy. Waiting until the `time is right' will only make you miserable. How
will you know when it is the right time? Most likely you will never find
the right time."

Peter paused, allowing Jason to think about what he heard. He always
figured he would wait until after school to come out, then he would be done
with soccer and wouldn't need his parent's help.

"When I met Drew, the guy I got caught kissing, I made a choice to try to
let myself be happy." Peter shrugged. "Drew did it for me, he was a
lacrosse player from a neighboring high school, cute, a tad dumb, but a
good kisser. Obviously I chose the wrong person, but it was the right
decision. Once I was free from sneaking around, pretending I liked girls,
trying to figure out how to let someone I thought was cute know I was
interested without letting them know, I found I was much happier, even with
being forced out. Things sucked at first, I won't lie, but I think they
sucked worse because I bought into the idea I was somehow wrong or
bad. Once I accepted I was fine how I was, I realized most people didn't
care.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is you need to take a chance if you want to
be happy." Peter tried to smile before he said, "When you find someone you
like, someone you really like, you need to grab them. I may not be that
person, but at some point you need to take a risk or you won't ever be
happy."

Take a risk he thought? This was more than a simple risk, this was his
entire life. Yeah, but Peter was right, he would never be happy until he
stopped pretending.

"Why would that make me mad?" He asked.

"Because I'm calling you out." Peter said. "I'm challenging you to stop
playing it safe and to do what will make you happy."

"No," Jason shook his head. Peter looked defeated by that one word. "Sorry,
I didn't mean, `no you are wrong.' I was saying, `no' to your calling me
out."

Peter's expression improved a little, but now he looked confused.

Closing his eyes again he leaned his head back. "God this is so confusing."

"I'm sorry Jason," Peter apologized. "Seems I keep pushing you to go where
I want with no regard for the consequences it might have on you."

"No you aren't." Jason said finally. The hurt in Peter's voice focused his
thoughts. "You're totally right. Playing it safe will only lead to regret
later on. I just don't know what to do."

Peter swallowed, his brown eyes staring at Jason as if he could see through
him. Jason could feel the anger Peter was trying to hold back. Anger at him
for refusing to do what Peter knew was right for him.

"I can't do it alone." Jason whispered, scared to say it too loud. "I need
your help."

"What?" Peter's voice was as quiet as Jason's.

"I want to, but it scares me." Deep down he knew this would lead to
trouble, but he didn't care. Peter was right; the perfect time would never
present itself. "But if you help me I want to take a chance with you."

"Are you serious?" Peter's guarded excitement made Jason smile.

"Yeah," He nodded. "Dinner, the ride here, kissing you, everything about
tonight made me happy. I don't want to turn my back on it."

Leaning over, Peter pulled Jason closer so he could whisper in his ear. "Of
course I will help you."

They started kissing and Peter gently laid Jason back onto the
futon. Picking up where he left off, Jason put his hands under Peter's
shirt. Slowly, gently, he pulled it over his head, even as Peter started to
unbutton Jason's shirt.

"Is that offer to use the bedroom still available?" Jason smirked.

"What about not being able to stay over?" Without agreeing it was, Peter
stood up reaching for Jason's hand.

"I still can't, but I'm not worried about it," Jason answered. "Somehow I
think we both know this won't be a one night hook up."

"It better not be." Peter laughed, leading them back toward his bedroom.


The sound of the front door shutting woke him up. Jason reached for his
phone, noting the clock radio said 11:17. Lifting the phone from the dock,
the screen immediately sprang to life.

`Missed text Peter.'

Smiling, he unlocked the phone as quick as he could.

"Had a great nite thanx 2 u. Hope we r still on 4 later. Peter."

Smiling ear to ear he typed out a response. "Me 2, wish I had stayed over
so could wake up next to u. Yes, still on for later. Let me shower then
I'll call u."

Sending it, he quickly typed a second message. "PS u r an awesome kisser!
:)"

He put the phone down, heading for the bathroom. Wearing just his boxer's,
he hoped the door he heard closing was Emily leaving. Checking to make sure
the apartment was empty, he quickly did what he needed.

As he waited for the coffee to finish, he turned his phone over so he could
read the brief text over and over. Soon a new message appeared under the
two he sent.

"Wish u were here too. Lying in bed thinking bout u."

Before Jason stopped rereading the new text, a third appeared. "You kiss
great too, can't wait 2 do it again :)"

Jason called up the keypad. "I will hold u to that. Hope I don't wear out
ur lips." Stifling a laugh he hit send.

Closing his eyes he tried to remember every detail of Peter's lips, how he
kissed, what Peter's body felt like pressed against his, the way his back
muscles moved. He had to imagine the rest as they stopped before undressing
each other. Jason told Peter he wanted their first time to be more than a
rushed event at the tail end of a date. To his surprise, Peter agreed
saying he was fine with just kissing and groping.

The vibration from his phone caused him to open his eyes.

"Wear em out all u like"

"Remember u said that!" Jason almost giggled when he sent it. Grabbing his
coffee he made for the shower. Peter was free only until 4:30. Then he had
to pick up his sister so they could have dinner with his mom. He wanted to
spend a little time alone before that happened.

Standing under the water he wondered again what he was doing. He knew the
consequences of getting caught would be ugly. As much as Peter said his
experience sucked, Jason worried his would suck worse, much worse. Forget
what might happen with soccer, the real firestorm would come from
home. Royce was hard to predict, though Jason did not count on his dad
being supportive. It was his mother whose reaction he feared most. She
would not understand, nor would she approve. Gay sons were something other
people had, not Barbara Tellerman.

When he realized how long he had been in the shower, he hurried to
finish. Dating someone was going to prove hard for him in many ways. Apart
from the need for secrecy, now he had to clean up before going out, worry
about what he wore, and make sure he was on time. If he wasn't so excited,
this would feel like he was meeting his parents for dinner.

Normally he would have worn his soccer warm ups, but with his name and
number sown on the front, Jason didn't feel comfortable wearing that to
meet Peter. What if someone saw them together? On campus it didn't matter
so much, they were both students, both had classes in the same
buildings. Away from campus, people would talk, especially if they knew
Peter was gay.

Grabbing his book bag and keys, he couldn't suppress a smile as he locked
the door. This would be their first real date. Last night turned into one,
but it didn't start out as one. Jason decided he would count last night as
the day they set up their date, not the date itself. Was he being a dork?
Did it really matter what day was a date and what wasn't? Who worried about
that stuff anyway?

Smiling, he realized most people probably worried about it if they really
liked someone. Until he met Peter, Jason never let himself like
anyone. There were a couple guys he met, guys who were too far away to
consider dating, that he might have wanted more had the circumstances been
different. Meaning if he were out, he told himself. No, that wasn't right
either. He made sure he only met guys who were too far away for him to even
consider dating. It was a fail safe against falling for someone.

Peter upended all his best laid plans. Without distance to create a barrier
to dating, Jason found he was at the mercy of his heart. Where once logic
and reason dictated his action, now he was being guided by his feelings and
instincts.

Stepping away from logic left him anxious yet excited. It was a feeling he
could come to like he decided.

Peter chose their rendezvous carefully. Nowhere in town was safe from
prying eyes, especially on a Sunday afternoon. Instead, Peter suggested
they have lunch in one of the small towns north of Harrisburg. When he
suggested they meet there instead of driving together, Jason decided they
were taking secrecy too far. He insisted on picking Peter up at his
apartment. If it wasn't safe to stop long enough for Peter to get in the
car, there was no way he could park his car there to spend the night.

The parking lot was nearly empty when Jason arrived. Although Peter said he
would be waiting, Jason was early. Resisting the urge to call, Jason
decided to wait until their agreed time to call. The dash board clock read
12:29, one minute early. Royce always considered anything less than 5
minutes early being late. Amused by his father's rules, Jason decided he
would give Peter a few minutes before he called.

The extra time was not needed as Peter walked out of his building before
Jason's clock could turn over to 12:30. Gone was the leather jacket and
boots. Too bad, Jason thought, Peter looked so hot in those. Not that he
looked bad in the tan jacket and trail shoes, Jason just preferred the
other look.

"Nice car." Peter complimented as he buckled up. "Bet it must hurt to pay
your dad back for this."

"Kind of, but it will be paid off by the end of the summer." Jason couldn't
wait until that happened. "So where to Sherpa Gregory?"

"Damn," Peter mused. "Don't think any of my prior dates would have come up
with Sherpa."

"Complimenting me doesn't help me with directions you know." Jason never
liked compliments, but he liked it when Peter gave them.

"Did that come across as a compliment?" Peter tried to act serious. "I
never said I liked the nerdy brainy type. The dumb jock is so much less
threatening intellectually."

Jason rolled his eyes. "Says the cute guy on a full academic scholarship to
a guy who only made it into school because he could kick a soccer ball."

Peter raised his eyes several times. "If you showed them your legs I can
understand why they accepted you."

Now Jason turned red. "Directions?"

"You really don't do well with compliments, do you?" Peter laughed. "Head
toward the road I found you running on yesterday, we are heading north."

"North it is." Jason shifted gears, leaving the parking lot on his way
north. Sneaking a peek to his right, he couldn't help smiling. His `date'
was sitting in the passenger seat of his car. No one could have convinced
him he would be on a date even just a few days ago, yet it was real.

"What are you smiling about?" Peter asked.

"Does it matter?" Jason was slightly embarrassed by his reaction.

"Not especially." Peter laughed. "I just wanted to know so I could make
sure you smile more. You are so cute when you are happy."

"That's easy. I'm smiling because you're sitting in my car, next to me, as
we go on a real date." Jason's smile got bigger.

"Damn, you are easy." Peter shook his head. "I won't even have to work to
be romantic around you."

"Hey," Jason protested. "I didn't say I wanted to be taken for granted."

Peter put his hand over Jason's. "That is one thing you never have to worry
about."

"Good." Shifting again, he noted how good Peter's hand felt on his. "How
long do I stay on this road?"

"Until I say to turn." Peter smirked. "Kidding! About five more miles. I
will give you a heads up when we get closer."

"So mysterious." Jason found he enjoyed the idea of going where Peter was
taking him without knowing. "How romantic."

"Ha!" Peter snorted. "You really are easy to make happy."

"So?" Jason asked. "You should be glad I'm easy to please. Makes things
easier for you."

"I don't want things to be too easy." Peter said. "Everything I do can't be
the way you want things."

"Probably not, but having never had a boyfriend before, I'm not very good
at knowing what to do." Jason confessed. "For example, this date; I would
be terrible at planning something fun, much less keep it secret."

"Shouldn't you wait to see where we're going before you decide it's a great
date?" Peter joked, his mood much improved.

"No, if we drove around for 3 hours and went home I'd be happy." Jason
shook his head. "I guess the bar really is pretty low. Sorry."

Shifting in his seat, Peter put his hand on Jason's leg. "There's nothing
to be sorry about. Doing something together is more important than what you
do I think. Besides, my not having much money will probably limit us to
doing a lot of simple stuff."

"Money is an issue for you, isn't it?" Jason asked.

"What do you mean?" Peter sounded defensive.

"Well, you seem to worry about the difference in our finances." Jason tried
to tread carefully. "Does it really bother you?"

"Does what bother me?" Peter still avoided the topic.

"C'mon Pete, stop being difficult, you know what I mean." Jason
complained. "Does money really matter that much?"

Peter didn't answer right away. "No and yes."

Jason almost laughed, but he noticed Peter was being serious so he gave him
time to explain.

"No, in the sense that I don't care that others have more money than I
do. Yes, it bothers me when I can't pay my own way."

"Why?" Jason wasn't sure he wanted to push Peter on this topic. "I mean
it's not like I'm trying to buy your affection or anything."

"No, it's not like that." Peter shook his head. "Okay, here's the story. My
last boy friend was this guy Hayden. His family had big money, not sure
where it came from, but they seemed really wealthy. He had a Porsche and
unlike you his parents paid for it. Every time we went out, he always
paid. We went to expensive restaurants, five star hotels, that sort of
thing. Once he surprised me by taking me to LA for the night on his
parent's private jet."

"Damn," Jason raised both eyebrows. "That is something."

Peter nodded. "Wherever the money came from, they weren't shy about
spending it. There was no way I could afford the tip from some of the
dinners we had, much less dinner itself." Peter paused for a moment. "I
always felt inferior because there was nothing I could to match what he did
for me. A flower here, a card there, that wasn't going to match dinner in
New York after riding the Acelor from Philly. Worse was his dismissive
attitude toward anything I tried.

"In the end I came to realize he defined himself by his family's
money. Maybe he felt he wasn't really good at anything so he used money to
show off. I think I was important to him because he thought he could
impress me because I was poor. Made me wary of others spending money on
me."

Absorbing what Peter was saying, Jason considered his response. "I need to
tell you something."

"That sounds ominous." Peter did not sound like he was joking.

"Well," Jason wondered how much to say. "You and I never really talked much
about it, but while my dad's firm does well, mom's side is the source of
most of the family money."

"Oh." Now Peter sounded uncomfortable. "How rich are we talking Jason?"

"Heiress rich. Nothing like Hayden's I suppose. My family doesn't have a
jet." He laughed hoping Peter would relax. "But I promise you I'm not like
Hayden about money."

"I know you aren't him. The night we ate at the student union you were
careful not to make a big deal of your money." Peter smiled finally. "Trust
me I know you're not anything like Hayden."

"If you only knew how much I have trusted you already." Jason didn't mean
to say it like that. "I mean, for me to be here means I trust you."

Peter didn't move his hand. "I understand what it means for you to be
here. Can I tell you something?"

"Um sure, why do you even ask?"

"You're the first person I dated since Hayden. That was almost a year ago."
Peter's admission seemed to make him vulnerable. "I got hurt because I
ignored the warning signs he was a jerk. He wasn't worth my time, but I
bought into his crap that he was some big catch. After that, I have been so
cautious I haven't even had a second date with a guy; until you. What I'm
saying is while you are trusting me, I'm trusting you too. Trusting you
won't hurt me too."

Peter's vulnerability scared Jason. How could he promise he wouldn't end up
hurting him? It was not his intention to hurt him, but he was so new to
this, what if he did it without meaning to?

"Pete," Jason wanted to get this right. "I can't promise I know what I'm
doing, or that I will get it right all the time, but I can say I won't
deliberately try to hurt you. That much I know for sure."

"Fair enough." He squeezed Jason's leg. "What say you we find a better
topic for conversation? I would rather use our time learning all I can
about the man attached to the legs that earned a scholarship."

Jason laughed. "Perfect, but I get to ask you questions too."

"Of course," Peter agreed. "So you first, tell me what you like to do
besides play soccer and kiss me?"



Despite getting lost once, they managed to find their destination. The
small main street looked deserted. Parking in front of a small cafe style
restaurant, Jason surveyed the area before locking the car.

"Trust me." Peter smiled. "Erin took me here about six months ago. Her
friend from school opened this place last year."

"Do all your sister's friends own restaurants?" Jason laughed.

"She studied hospitality and restaurant management. A few of her classmates
opened restaurants."

"Interesting." Jason shrugged. "If this place is as good as the vegetarian
place, I won't complain."

"Hmm," Peter made a serious face. "I can't vouch for that, but I thought
the food was good. The real reason I took us here was the drive."

"I sort of figured part of the reason was so we could spend some time
alone." Jason winked.

"Do you mind?" Peter's face showed his concern.

Jason checked the street. Leaning closer he stole a quick kiss. "Not at
all."

With a huge smile, Peter grabbed Jason's hand. Resisting the urge to pull
away, Jason still tensed up.

"Relax soccer boy." Peter called him that several times already. "No one
knows us here."

"Work in progress, remember." Jason laughed nervously, but did not pull
away.

Like the rest of the street, the restaurant was mostly empty. An older
couple sat at a table against the wall. A young woman with long hair,
sandals and a back pack sat in the back and a thirty something looking guy
with a full beard and slightly rumpled clothing sat close to the door.
Everyone had food or drinks or both on their table.

"Sit wherever you like guys." A male voice called from the back. Following
the voice, a tall slightly overweight waiter walked out from the kitchen
area carrying a tray. He stopped by the young woman, putting a plate down
along with silverware.

Leaving her, he followed his newest customers to a table near the window.
Jason noted the two glasses of water he still had with him.

"You're Erin's younger brother, right?" The dark haired server asked. Jason
guessed he was about 30 give or take a few years.

"Yup." Peter nodded. "Bruce right?"

"Good memory." He smiled. Jason felt a pang of jealousy as he watched Bruce
flirt with Peter. "How's your sister?"

"Busy as usual." Peter took a seat across from Jason. "Bruce, this is my
friend Jason. We were looking for something different to do for our date
today so I dragged him here."

Jason suppressed a snort at Peter's bluntness.

"Nice to meet you Jason." Bruce said. Jason was all but certain he got a
wink from the older man.

Jason stood up and offered his hand. "Nice to meet you too."

"So formal." Bruce laughed shaking Jason's hand.

Embarrassed, Jason sat down. "Sorry, old habits are hard to break."

"Nothing to be sorry for." Bruce laughed. "I'll bring you some menus."

Jason watched their host walk back to the kitchen area. "Is he always so
forward?"

"Bruce's a terrible flirt." Peter said. "I hope he got the hint."

"That was something of a blow to the head kind of hint." Jason laughed.
"Saying, `I dragged him here for our date' was not exactly subtle."

Peter winked at him. "Never said I was trying to be subtle. I want you to
myself."

Seeing Peter smiling on the other side of the table, Jason couldn't hold
back a grin. "Given we are in the middle of nowhere, I would say your plan
to keep me away from everyone else worked."

"Aren't you the one who said if you drive far enough it's easy to be
anonymous?" Peter raised one eyebrow as if daring Jason to deny his
comment.

"Yeah, but I also said I would lie about where I was from too."

"That isn't necessary here." Peter shook his head twice. "When you said
that last night I got the idea that it would help us be careful if we
weren't always seen together around campus. There are plenty of out of the
way places we can go to be alone without prying eyes noticing us."

"Are you always this clever or do you work hard at it?"

"It helps to be inspired." Peter might have said more, but Bruce returned
with their menus.